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screen printing => Equipment => Topic started by: sqslabs on November 01, 2014, 10:12:58 AM
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So I've read an account or two on the forum of people installing their dryers themselves, and am considering doing the same. Its a (very lightly) used Adelco JF150S, and from what I've been told was in perfect working order before it was broken down and crated. Its currently in four pieces (infeed, outfeed, 10' heat chamber, 3' extension), and looks to plug together pretty easily. The two belts would have to be installed as well.
My main concern is that I'd have to break down my current dryer in order to install this one, and the shop will be at a standstill until the new one is up and running. I run a four day workweek so I'd have three days to get it dialed in without losing production. I've never installed a dryer belt but imagine it can't be that tough, right? The electric and plumbing would be done by professionals. So for anyone who has installed a gas dryer before, how tough is it really? I'm willing to give it a shot if it makes sense to do so.
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I'll take a shot here. I have an electric Vastex, but would be surprised if the belt setup is that different for gas.
If it's like the teflon mesh belt I have on my Vastex, it's a long belt with metal hinge type things at each end that you match up like a zipper and shove thru a piece of piano wire to hold it together. Like a hinge pin for a door.
When I got my Vastex, it was disassembled just like you described here.
You assemble the infeed, outfeed, heat chamber and extension first, but not extended to the max.
Wrap the belt around, connect it together and then adjust the infeed (or outfeed) to snug up the belt.
I hope that's in the ballpark you were asking about. Someone else might have more but that should be the basics.
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I assisted the install guy for our mini sprint last week. Piece of cake really... bolt it together, put the belt in, tension it after you warm it up for the first time... have your hvac guy check for CO leaks and away you go.
other than the chimney and gas hookup, no different than an electric dryer
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Not hard at all. Biggest bitch it lacing the belt. You can lay two pieces of conduit in the bottom of the chamber to slide the belt on to get it to the other end. Before putting the wire in the lacing grind a little point on the one end, sand it smooth if there is any rust or nicks on it. A little WD40 will help it slide through a little better.
I did our Vortex in two days including pipe, conduit, wire with 20' ceilings from a ladder.
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Thanks much for the responses guys, I'll go ahead and give it a shot next weekend. Wish me luck. 8)
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If you get stuck on lacing the belt together, chuck the piano wire up in a drill and spin it through.
Not sure where I learned that but it can be a lifesaver. Honestly that's probably the hardest part.
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We did like eb.. just turned it real slow.
Can't imagine trying to do it any other way.
But ours was used.. New I imagine is a piece of cake.
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What year is this Adelco? If a circa 2009 or so be sure to pay close attention to the crystal for the ir sensor. Also all fans must work for the dryer to work. Any questions feel free to call me.
404-895-1796
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What year is this Adelco? If a circa 2009 or so be sure to pay close attention to the crystal for the ir sensor. Also all fans must work for the dryer to work. Any questions feel free to call me.
404-895-1796
Those Adelco dryers apparently get pretty hot on the outside and are real flamethrowers in terms of consumption.
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Something else to consider since the electrician is there any way pulling wires, just a few more wires in the conduit. Drop a 120vac line to the dryer so if needed you could plug a fan or radio or something in. I would also do it to the center of the presses for the same reason or to maybe power a laser alignment system. It keeps loose extension cords up off the floor.
When I rearranged our shop last year I added one 120vac drop to the auto, first flash, manual and dryer which I ran a outlet to each end of it.
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Great tip on the belt installation, it will definitely be coming in handy. :)
What year is this Adelco? If a circa 2009 or so be sure to pay close attention to the crystal for the ir sensor. Also all fans must work for the dryer to work. Any questions feel free to call me.
404-895-1796
I believe it's a 2011, but am not 100% positive of that. Will see if I can decipher anything from the serial when I get into the shop tomorrow. I've already put in a request with Adelco for a spare crystal, and will keep an eye on the fans. Thanks for the offer on the questions, I'll likely be taking you up on it.
Those Adelco dryers apparently get pretty hot on the outside and are real flamethrowers in terms of consumption.
Definitely the first I've heard of this. Have you used one of these dryers in the past?
Something else to consider since the electrician is there any way pulling wires, just a few more wires in the conduit. Drop a 120vac line to the dryer so if needed you could plug a fan or radio or something in. I would also do it to the center of the presses for the same reason or to maybe power a laser alignment system. It keeps loose extension cords up off the floor.
When I rearranged our shop last year I added one 120vac drop to the auto, first flash, manual and dryer which I ran a outlet to each end of it.
Great idea. And one I wish I had a couple days ago as they've already pulled the wires. :o Rough inspection is tomorrow so nothing is hooked up yet, maybe I can still convince them to pull some extra wires before finalizing everything.
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Those Adelco dryers apparently get pretty hot on the outside and are real flamethrowers in terms of consumption.
Two of ours are not hot on outside. One of them has hot spot which we caused and haven't repaired it yet.
@falmethrowers; The only way to tell it is to compare gas consumption. On year's average our 150cm wide 3m long Adelco is using 31,00 m3 per shift. It's being fed with plastisol printed T-shirts from two presses. Time setting 70 sec, temp. 170 deg C
Boris
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Those Adelco dryers apparently get pretty hot on the outside and are real flamethrowers in terms of consumption.
Two of ours are not hot on outside. One of them has hot spot which we caused and haven't repaired it yet.
@falmethrowers; The only way to tell it is to compare gas consumption. On year's average our 150cm wide 3m long Adelco is using 31,00 m3 per shift. It's being fed with plastisol printed T-shirts from two presses. Time setting 70 sec, temp. 170 deg C
Boris
Your dryers where probably still "Made in UK". The Adelco dryers build in China are apparently not so good anylonger. But of course cheaper.
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Those Adelco dryers apparently get pretty hot on the outside and are real flamethrowers in terms of consumption.
Two of ours are not hot on outside. One of them has hot spot which we caused and haven't repaired it yet.
@falmethrowers; The only way to tell it is to compare gas consumption. On year's average our 150cm wide 3m long Adelco is using 31,00 m3 per shift. It's being fed with plastisol printed T-shirts from two presses. Time setting 70 sec, temp. 170 deg C
Boris
Your dryers where probably still "Made in UK". The Adelco dryers build in China are apparently not so good anylonger. But of course cheaper.
This one is made in China. The older one we have is still UK made. I don't know, maybe this is big consumption. Haven't seen anyone else Data on it. Older one had consumption 2/3 of the new one.
CPN dryer was favorite when I was shopping. But it was insanely more expensive than Adelco or M&R.
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Your dryers where probably still "Made in UK". The Adelco dryers build in China are apparently not so good anylonger. But of course cheaper.
Is this first hand info? I only ask because I spoke to some very knowledgeable people in the industry about the dryer before making the purchase and they had nothing but good things to say about it. I hadn't even heard of Adelco before the opportunity to buy one came up, but from what I've gathered they are pretty highly regarded, save for a few quirks on the older models that Sonny outlined above.
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Your dryers where probably still "Made in UK". The Adelco dryers build in China are apparently not so good anylonger. But of course cheaper.
Is this first hand info? I only ask because I spoke to some very knowledgeable people in the industry about the dryer before making the purchase and they had nothing but good things to say about it. I hadn't even heard of Adelco before the opportunity to buy one came up, but from what I've gathered they are pretty highly regarded, save for a few quirks on the older models that Sonny outlined above.
If you are asking are the Adelco dryers made in China the answer is yes they are?
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If you are asking are the Adelco dryers made in China the answer is yes they are?
I'm aware that they are made in China. I was referring to his comments stating that they get very hot on the outside, consume more gas than other dryers this size, and are "not so good any longer".
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If you are asking are the Adelco dryers made in China the answer is yes they are?
I'm aware that they are made in China. I was referring to his comments stating that they get very hot on the outside, consume more gas than other dryers this size, and are "not so good any longer".
Got it. I won't respond to those as I am a competitor.
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Got it. I won't respond to those as I am a competitor.
I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts on it, so please don't not respond on my behalf. I'd imagine you'd know more than most on the subject, regardless of any bias toward your own brand. As mentioned earlier, I hadn't even heard of Adelco before this purchase. The price was just too good to pass up.
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Maybe buy a new wire for the alligator zipper, it may help on the install of the belt. I hate, freaking hate, putting used dryer belts back together, it's pure hell. The drill trick is super smart and get a little oil dropper to help lubricate it. Also it will go in best with around 2-3 people holding it and pushing/pulling.
I don't know how the drones/chambers of the Adelco fit together but purchase rolls of whatever high temp gasket they use at the factory. That stuff is probably long gone, brittle and hardened. New gasket saved our butts when we found our used Sprint just would not/could not buckle back together exactly the way it had been initially installed. It ensures you have a tight seal in the chambers and also gives you that bit of leeway you might need in assembling the chambers.
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Yeah, I was twisting the wire by hand and it was going in pretty good for a while.
Then I thought, hang on a sec, grabbed the drill and set it to slow gear and started at it... still was slow but I couldn't imagine doing it without the drill... the last few inches were brutal. :)
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They usually are :)
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Got it. I won't respond to those as I am a competitor.
I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts on it, so please don't not respond on my behalf. I'd imagine you'd know more than most on the subject, regardless of any bias toward your own brand. As mentioned earlier, I hadn't even heard of Adelco before this purchase. The price was just too good to pass up.
Well we just had the tech for our dryer over here and he did a lot of work on Adelco dryers back in the UK and he told me about how hot they get on the outside. Generally sice they switched production to China quality has apprently gone down. I`m saying apparently as I don`t know from first hand experience but rather from what o was told by engineers and the Adelco distributer here in Japan. I`ve asked him about them getting hot and he said that it was the case but it got better in the last 2 years as they made some improvements.
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Well we just had the tech for our dryer over here and he did a lot of work on Adelco dryers back in the UK and he told me about how hot they get on the outside. Generally sice they switched production to China quality has apprently gone down. I`m saying apparently as I don`t know from first hand experience but rather from what o was told by engineers and the Adelco distributer here in Japan. I`ve asked him about them getting hot and he said that it was the case but it got better in the last 2 years as they made some improvements.
Thank you for clarifying, it is appreciated. I'll be looking into these issues next week once the dryer is up and running and will post my findings.
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I don't know how the drones/chambers of the Adelco fit together but purchase rolls of whatever high temp gasket they use at the factory. That stuff is probably long gone, brittle and hardened. New gasket saved our butts when we found our used Sprint just would not/could not buckle back together exactly the way it had been initially installed. It ensures you have a tight seal in the chambers and also gives you that bit of leeway you might need in assembling the chambers.
Thanks for the tips, I just checked the gasket on the heat chamber and it feels like new. No hardening, and not at all brittle. I'm starting to wonder how many times this thing has even been fired up.
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I'm starting to wonder how many times this thing has even been fired up.
Maybe that is why they are selling it....
What's the back story on it? Is the company downsizing, closing, or just selling it?
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What's the back story on it? Is the company downsizing, closing, or just selling it?
Very large promotional items company decides to get into DTG printing. Purchases two top of the line Kornits and this dryer and puts them in their China plant. They are barely used there so the company decides to move the DTG operation to their Miami location. They sit there crated for a while until the company begins moving operations to their west coast location, at which time they decide they will not be doing the DTG thing after all. Instead of shipping the equipment to the west coast, they aim to sell it before their lease is up, and I got the dryer off Craigslist at the last minute. It was still crated when I picked it up, and the CFO of the company was sure to let me know that it was basically a gift at the price I got it for. I agreed, said thanks, and smiled a lot on the way back to my shop.
Now I'm not sure that story is 100% true. But the company I purchased it from is legit, and it seemed like the money meant less to them than ridding themselves of the headache. Will know the full story when I fire it up this weekend.
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Is there any easy way to tell if a dryer is set up for natural or propane gas? I was told by the previous owner that it had been converted to run on propane, but just want to be sure before moving forward.
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Does that company want to gift-price one of those Kornits?
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Does that company want to gift-price one of those Kornits?
I'll take dibs on the 2nd gift Kornit. :-)
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Is there any easy way to tell if a dryer is set up for natural or propane gas? I was told by the previous owner that it had been converted to run on propane, but just want to be sure before moving forward.
Found these on the internet -
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If you can get a good look at the orifice,look at the hole size.Natural has a hole that is usually around the size of the tip of a pen,while lp is smaller.There also should be a number on the orifice.This will tell you the orifice size which you can either compare to the other one(if you know what type of gas it uses).To be sure of the correct orifice,call the manufacturer and ask what size they use for lp and natural,that way there is no guessing.Btw just sniffing to see what has been used doesnt mean the correct gas was used,just trying can have bad results if its set up for nat and you use lp.
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You cannot te unless you are sure you know what you are looking at. If they have a regulator on them you might see a piece on it that says PRO or NAT that is one way.
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I`m not sure about the Adelco dryers, but on our dryer we can very simply change from Propane to Natural Gas. It just takes a few simple changes on the burner set up. So even if something on the burner or the regulator says Propane you might want to make sure that that is really the case. On our burner it says for example LPG but it was set to burn NG on our request.
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Thanks guys, will look into those things now and see what I can come up with. I got a hold of the service manual for the dryer and there is a regulator missing which is needed to run propane, so it seems the conversion was not done after all.
And for those wondering about the Kornits, they were long gone by the time I got there. Or I would have bought them myself. ;D